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There had been speculation that President Obama would break the tradition of endorsing a presidential candidate only after their party’s primaries have been completed and announce his endorsement early. But that won’t be happening. This week, POTUS wrote an op-ed in the New York Times about gun control. “I will not campaign for, vote for or support any candidate, even in my own party, who does not support common sense gun reform,” he wrote. Based on that statement, it’s highly unlikely that gun-friendly candidate Bernie Sanders will earn Obama’s endorsement.

On NBC’s Meet The Press, Chuck Todd asked White House Chief Of Staff Denis McDonough if that could possibly mean Obama would endorse Hillary Clinton over Bernie. The Vermont Senator voted for a 2005 bill that protects gun manufacturers and dealers from liability lawsuits and against the Brady Bill, mandating background checks for gun purchasers. McDonough denied this interpretation of Obama’s words.

“We’ll do exactly what has been done in the past, which is when the nominee is set, then the president will be out there,” McDonough said. “This isn’t only about the [presidential] primary. We’ve got a third of the Senate that’s running, we’ve got all the House that’s running, we’ve got state houses and governorships across the country where this is going to be an issue on the ballot.”